Hyperbole
While I agree that the remarks made about Steve Balmer were in fairly poor taste, it is the only real way to explain his conduct in 3 short sentences without visual aids.
Tourette's and Spastic Paralysis are both serious conditions and require the understanding and help of friends and family as well as the ability to deal with bad moments in private out of the public eye. I have had friends with both conditions. My point was that:
1. There's something wrong with Mr. Balmer that should be medically diagnosed, but no one in his immediate circle of acquaintances will speak up for fear of being kicked out of the club.
2. His conduct is undignified and disgraceful to himself and the company. Retention of Mr. Balmer as CEO is an unkindness to the company and its shareholders as well as to Mr. Balmer himself. He is in a position for which he is psychologically unsuited.
3. His judgment in approving projects and stamping things production ready seems to be less based on data, but rather based upon the opinions of those who are involved in the projects. This indicates that he is swayed by his perception of public opinion, not by facts and figures.
4. Those who allow him to act in this manner without letting him know that he is presenting a negative image are like the friends of a Tourette's sufferer who encourage them to pursue a career in politics. Yes, by allowing and encouraging a dream you make them happy in the short run, but you set them up for spectacular, life crushing failure over the course of the rest of their lives.
5. The CEO of a tech company must be able to wear many hats, from PR to sales, to tech to QA. Mr. Balmer has demonstrated at various points that he in fact can do so, but not concurrently. Further his ability to switch between these modes of thinking is slow and he gets locked in a mode, a phrase, or a thought. In many ways he reminds me of the worst parts of Howard Hughes, but with neither the talent or the ability to listen to the talent he pays top dollar for.
